John Harbaugh, a 1983 Miami University football letter winner, was hired Friday as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. He becomes the newest jewel in Miami's famed Cradle of Coaches.

The native of Kalamazoo, Mich. played defensive back for Coach Tim Rose's Miami football team, lettering during his junior season.

Harbaugh spent this season as the Philadelphia Eagles' secondary coach after making a name for himself working with special teams. He has coached in the college ranks at Western Michigan, Pittsburgh, Morehead State and Cincinnati before joining the Eagles in 1998. He was selected the NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year by his peers in 2001.

Harbaugh has never been a head coach, but has coaching in his genes -- his father, Jack, is former head coach at Western Michigan and his brother, Jim, is head coach at Stanford and a former quarterback with the Ravens.

The 45-year-old Harbaugh, who received a four-year contract, will be introduced as the third coach in Ravens history at a news conference Saturday.